mgpcpastor's blog

So, I’ve activated my Facebook account in earnest this week.
I logged in a couple of years ago because I was curious to see what I could see, but had not interest in actually maintaining a presence. My main thought was that it was a passing fad.
mgpcpastor was started because I needed the discipline associated with regular writing. It helps  me shape my thoughts and gives a focus to my study, reading and thinking. There are times when I can report where I am and what I’m doing.
Twitter is a lark. But again the process of expressing thoughts with brevity was another discipline I wanted to develop.
The thing that has drawn me to Facebook finally was my wife, who is the least faddish person on the planet, activated an account. If Margaret is doing it, it is here to stay. The other reason is that lots of people, many of them younger, are active. Letters have given way to email. Journals are giving way to blogs. Everyday communication is becoming digitised. This is the current equivalent of the village square. Even sms text messaging by younger people seems to have given way to this form of communicating.
Most of the younger folk in my church (and many of the older folk) can’t bring themselves to even read the 500 or so words that I put up here. They just want the facts. Where they have been. What they’ve done. What they thought. That’s all they’ve got time to provide. Shared recreations and games further build a sense of community.
I still don’t know much about Facebook and the like. I appreciate the larger degree of openness which brings greater accountability and responsibility in personal expression. I’m also aware of the dangers that too much openness can invite. But this is where the people are, so this is where I’ve got to be. You can only communicate with people if you’re where they are. Being privileged to know information about their lives and daily activities gives an opportunity for more focused application of God’s Word to their lives.
There’s not much point yearning for anything else. Remember when you had to book a long distance phone call? Now two people with computers and a decent connection can video conference at will.
Yesterday I talked to a lady in her nineties. She commented that she has been a regular letter writing correspondent with another woman for some seventy years. I don’t think that’s going to happen too much these days. I don’t think that time will ever come back.
So, I don’t know how this will work, but we’ll see. I may be the world’s worst correspondent. Maybe this will help me keep in contact with more people. But sharing information and communicating can be good things.